Individual absorbent articles for personal hygiene articles are protected from the environment by sheets of material commonly referred to as wrappers or overwrap. Tampons, in particular, have employed wrappers in which each tampon is encased in a separate primary package, which may be then be sold in quantity in secondary packaging often a box. Tampons are generally categorized in two classes: applicator tampons and digital tampons. Applicator tampons are basically tampons contained within an applicator. The applicator may be plastic or cardboard and may include design elements such as finger grips or petals for ease of insertion.
The wrapper for an applicator tampon is typically elongated, loose, and flange or fin sealed at the ends with a small cut or notch at one end which the user uses to tear open the wrapper in a longitudinal fashion.
Digital tampons are basically compressed cylindrical objects and may include a tapered insertion end. As digital tampons are not contained within an applicator, they are typically contained within a wrapper. The wrapper for a digital tampon is typically tight fitting, often contacting the outer surface of the tampon completely about the perimeter and sealed against the tampon at both the insertion and withdrawal end. This tight wrapping may help maintain the shape of the tampon and prevent deformation.
Historically, wrappers have been made from clear types of materials such as plastics (e.g., polypropylene) or cellophane. Since digital tampons typically also contain a cover over the absorbent material, it is sometimes necessary to include a slip agent or an anti-static agent to ensure that the tampon is easily removed from the wrapper and parts of the wrapper does not adhere to the tampon during insertion.
Over the years there have developed many issues with the wrappers for digital tampons. Sometimes the tampon has “relaxed” after compression and is difficult to remove from a wrapper due to the snugness of the fit. Some wrapper materials may actually stick to the outer surface of the tampon and be difficult to remove due to material interaction, causing the user to pry off the overwrap from the tampon. See, for example, WO 2004/080362. Other times, depending on the choice of material for the wrapper, there may be a static charge to the wrapper which causes the pieces of the wrapper to cling to the user's fingers after the wrapper seal has been broken and the tampon removed.
New improvements to digital tampons include shaping the body of the tampon, varying the grooves and providing surface aberrations such as protuberances or depressions. Methods to make these types of shaped or patterned tampons typically involve a split mold cavity, which allows for the tampon to be removed from the mold without disrupting the tampon shape or surface. For shaped tampons that are to be digitally inserted, providing a wrapper to ensure cleanliness can pose a challenge. Shaped tampons may require non-cylindrical wrapping to maintain its shape.
This invention proposes a solution to forming a shaped tampon along with providing a wrapper which provides cleanliness and helps maintain the shape of the tampon during storage.